By Zachary Teasley
Society today is becoming progressively worse as far as moral standards are concerned. The once strong moral standards are breaking down and deteriorating right before our eyes. Many perceptions, ideals, activities, and lifestyles which were previously considered sociably unacceptable is now the norm and is no longer unusual. Strong indicators, such as increased crime, violence, random shootings, increased murder rate, high divorce rate, increase in alternative lifestyles, high teenage pregnancy rate, increase in single-parent homes, and an increase in Substance Abuse. The list goes on and on and is multiplying at a rapid rate as people are searching for new ways to satisfy their evil and sinful lusts with a complete disregard for what God says is right and what is wrong. Statistics show that society is becoming less religious and church attendance is declining across the board. The love and respect for God and His precious word are not the same as in the past. Many people feel that the Bible which is over 2000 years old is out of date or even obsolete. Many people in our society believe that this is the 21st Century and what was once considered a sin or a violation of God’s law is no longer applicable to mankind today because society has changed. This way of thinking is definitely a sign of the times and is truly a terrible tragedy that will eventually lead to the downfall of this society as we know it today. The Bible is still God’s inspired word and is still very much in effect today. We must realize as a people that God and His word is unchanging and is just as applicable now as it was some 2000 years ago. In Heb 13:8, the Bible says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.” If you have lost respect for God and His word, there is one thing that can help you gain or recapture the love and respect you must have, and that is to study about God’s greatness, power, love, and fairness. God has done so much for us for He is our creator and He has given us an infinite number of blessings which after studying about some of them should humble us a bit. The Psalmist talks about God, His power and His goodness in Psalm 33:4-11, “For the word of the Lord is right and all His works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.” God is the one who holds the keys to a successful life in this world and holds the keys to life eternal which should be our goal. Here is the key point that should get our attention; there is a spiritual existence after this life and we only have two choices either life eternal in heaven or everlasting destruction in Hell with Satan. God warns us in Heb 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Those who choose to disobey or ignore the commandments of God have definitely contributed to the tragedy and downfall of this world because they are living a life of sin. A far greater tragedy is their choice to forfeit their own souls for the pleasures of sin which are only temporary. Again, the penalty for obeying not the gospel of Christ is everlasting destruction. The question is, which option have you chosen today? II Thess 1:7-9 says, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Therefore, after understanding who God is and the power of His holy and divine word, it behooves us all as living souls who still have the opportunity to believe in God and obey his blessed commands to do so immediately without hesitating. Also, whether we realize it or not we must all stand before the bar of Christ and be judged in accordance with our actions in this life. II Cor 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” If we don’t respect God now we can rest assured that we will respect him later in the judgment which will be too late. Rom 14:11 says, “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord every knee shall bow to Me and every tongue shall confess to God.” What a tragedy it will be to face God in this situation without knowing Him and His commandments! Now referring to the earlier comments about the world and the corrupt state that it is in, disobedience and sin are the main contributing factors to the wicked and corrupt state of the world. The Bible explicitly warns us not to be engulfed in sin for sin separates us from God. 1 John 3:4 tells us, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law. Rom 6:12, says “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Despite these warnings about the destruction of sin, the masses are given in to the allurements and enticements of sin in greater numbers. For many, there is no such thing as a standard for right and wrong and sin is something of the past. This complete reversal away from God had gradually occurred in the past but now people are moving away from God at a very rapid pace. We find these warnings in II Tim 3:1-8, (please read). The culprit or source of all of this deterioration is Satan, 1 Pet 5:8, and Holy Writ also says that “he that committeth sin is of the devil, 1 Jon 3:8. The remedy to the ills of this world is nothing but the blood of Jesus, Eph 1:7 says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.” We may come in contact with Jesus’ blood only through baptism, see 1 Pet 3:21—have you been washed in the blood of the lamb?